Hey, Michael Chiklis! You've just earned an Emmy nomination — as outstanding lead actor in a drama — for playing badass cop Vic Mackey on FX's The Shield. What'll you do now? Thumb your nose at advertisers who succumbed to pressure to boycott the hit show's sexy, violent content? Well, maybe just a little...
"I think [Shield's nominations] are just an affirmation and a vindication for us," Chiklis tells TV Guide Online. "This is in keeping with what we've said all along about this controversy, which is that quality is always defensible.
"I don't know if I would call it an 'f--- you,'" he adds diplomatically, "because it is a serious matter that [boycotters] are talking about, which is the effect of TV programming on children. I happen to be a parent. However, I think a lot of these well-intentioned but very misguided people are disillusioned by what they see in society — and they have some sort of function inside them that makes them need to allot blame to somebody.
"I get a little offended sometimes," Chiklis concludes, "but I try not to take it personally because I am a parent. The answer is, if you want to be a great parent, parent your children. If people looked to themselves, they wouldn't have an issue with this [show]. I love that it evokes all this thought, but let's not lose sight of the fact that this is entertainment."
